Electrode wiping surgical device

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the present disclosure include a surgical device comprising electrodes on the sides of an end of an effector to aide in sealing during various surgical procedures, such as a liver resection. During a sealing procedure, the surgeon may wipe the surgical site with the end effector, causing the electrodes to touch the fractured area. Electrosurgical energy may be applied to the electrodes during the wiping, causing coagulation of smaller vessels, such as tiny blood vessels and bile ducts in the parenchyma of the liver. In some cases, due to the nature of some smaller vessels, electrosurgical energy should be delicately applied to cause sealing but to avoid overly damaging the remaining tissue. In some embodiments, the thin design of the electrodes allows for an appropriate amount of electrosurgical energy to be applied to the fractured area.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No.14/885,348, filed Oct. 16, 2015, and titled “CONTROL AND ELECTRICALCONNECTIONS FOR ELECTRODE ENDOCUTTER DEVICE,”, now U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2017/0105782, the entire disclosure of whichis hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety and for allpurposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is related generally to medical devices withvarious mechanisms for cutting and sealing tissue. In particular, thepresent disclosure is related to medical devices with stapling andcutting instruments with electrodes positioned along the sides forcausing delicate sealing in a wiping motion, suitably for performingsurgical procedures on the liver.

BACKGROUND

When performing certain surgical procedures, there is a challenge tocontrol bleeding and provide sealing of smaller vessels of tissue at thesurgical site. For example, in a liver resection, also referred to as ahepatectomy, there is the challenge to create a resection plane throughseveral inches of liver parenchyma. Within this parenchyma are bileducts, arteries portal veins (bringing blood in) and hepatic veins(allowing blood out). When parenchyma is separated, there is a challengeto prevent bleeding, seal small (1-2 mm) bile ducts as well as larger 9+mm vessels. There is also a challenge to isolate critical ducts andvessels without damaging them.

While several devices have been made and used, it is believed that noone prior to the inventors has made or used the device described in theappended claims.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In some embodiments, a surgical instrument is provided.

1. In one example, the surgical instrument may include: a handleassembly, a shaft coupled to a distal end of the handle assembly, and anend effector coupled to a distal end of the shaft, the end effectorcomprising: a first jaw; a second jaw, wherein the first jaw and thesecond jaw cooperate to capture tissue therebetween; a stapling memberconfigured to fire one or more staples between the first and secondjaws; and the at least one electrode coupled to the first jaw or thesecond jaw and configured to transmit electrosurgical energy tocoagulate tissue upon wiping the end effector against the tissue.

2. In another example of the surgical instrument, a degree ofelectrosurgical energy transmitted by the at least one electrode isbased on a measured distance or angle of opening between the first jawand the second jaw.

3. In another example, the surgical instrument may further include aprocessor coupled to a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured tomeasure said distance or angle of the opening between the first jaw andthe second jaw, and the processor is configured to control delivery ofthe electrosurgical energy to the at least one electrode based on themeasured distance or angle of the sensor.

4. In another example of the surgical instrument, the processor isconfigured to deliver the electrosurgical energy to the at least oneelectrode when it is determined that the first and second jaws are in aclosed position, and deliver no electrosurgical energy to the at leastone electrode when it is determined that the first and second jaws arein an open position.

5. In another example, the surgical instrument may further include apower button configured to supply electrosurgical energy to the at leastone electrode when pressed by a user of the surgical instrument.

6. In another example, the surgical instrument may further include anattachable sleeve configured to be slidably attached to the first jaw,wherein the at least one electrode is directly coupled to the attachablesleeve such that the at least one electrode is configured to bedecoupled from the first jaw when the attachable sleeve is slidablydetached from the first jaw.

7. In another example of the surgical instrument, the stapling membercomprises a replaceable staple cartridge configured to be attachable anddetachable to the second jaw, and wherein the at least one electrode isdirectly coupled to the replaceable staple cartridge.

8. In another example of the surgical instrument, the second jawcomprises an elongated channel configured to receive placement of thereplaceable staple cartridge.

9. In another example of the surgical instrument, the at least oneelectrode is disposed on at least one lateral side of the replaceablestapler cartridge and over a lateral side of the elongated channel.

10. In another example of the surgical instrument, the end effectorfurther comprises a cutting element disposed between the first jaw andthe second jaw.

11. In another example of the surgical instrument, the at least oneelectrode is positioned on at least one lateral side of the first jaw orthe second jaw.

12. In another example of the surgical instrument, the at least oneelectrode is positioned on an inside surface of the first jaw or thesecond jaw.

13. In another example of the surgical instrument, the at least oneelectrode is positioned on a distal end of the end effector.

14. In another example of the surgical instrument, the at least oneelectrode comprises a first electrode positioned on a first lateral sideof the first jaw or the second jaw and a second electrode positioned ona second lateral side of the first jaw or the second jaw.

15. In another example of the surgical instrument, the first electrodeis configured to transmit electrosurgical energy at a first maximumlevel of energy sufficient to coagulate tissue upon wiping of the firstelectrode, and the second electrode is configured to transmitelectrosurgical energy at a second maximum level of energy sufficient tocut tissue upon contact with the second electrode.

16. In some embodiments, a surgical system is presented. The surgicalsystem may include: a power generator; and a surgical instrument coupledto the power generator, the surgical instrument comprising: a handleassembly; a shaft coupled to a distal end of the handle assembly, and anend effector coupled to a distal end of the shaft, the end effectorcomprising: a first jaw; a second jaw, wherein the first jaw and thesecond jaw cooperate to capture tissue therebetween; a stapling memberconfigured to fire one or more staples between the first and secondjaws; and at least one electrode coupled to the first jaw or the secondjaw and configured to transmit electrosurgical energy to coagulatetissue upon wiping the end effector against the tissue.

17. In another example, the surgical system further includes a processorcoupled to a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to measure adistance or angle of an opening between the first jaw and the secondjaw, and the processor is configured to control delivery of theelectrosurgical energy to the at least one electrode based on themeasured distance or angle of the sensor.

18. In some embodiments, an attachable member to a surgical device forproviding electrosurgical energy to a coagulate tissue at a surgicalsite is presented. The attachable member may include: a housingstructure; an attachable component coupled to the housing structure andconfigured to couple and decouple the housing structure to a jaw memberof an end effector at a distal end of the surgical instrument, and atleast one electrode coupled to the housing structure and configured totransmit electrosurgical energy to coagulate tissue upon wiping thehousing structure coupled to the end effector against the tissue.

19. In another example of the attachable member, the housing structurecomprises a sleeve configured to slidably attach to the jaw member ofthe end effector.

20. In another example of the attachable member, the housing structurecomprises a replaceable stapler cartridge configured to be attachableand detachable to an elongated channel of the end effector of thesurgical instrument, the stapler cartridge further configured to firestaples between the jaw member and a second jaw member of the endeffector.

21. In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium ispresented. The computer readable medium may include instructions that,when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operationscomprising any of the operations described in examples 1-20.

22. In some embodiments, a method for sealing tissue is presented. Themethod may include any of the procedures described in examples 1-21.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be inany way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments,and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and featureswill become apparent by reference to the drawings and the followingdetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features of the embodiments described herein are set forthwith particularity in the appended claims. The embodiments, however,both as to organization and methods of operation may be betterunderstood by reference to the following description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows.

FIG. 1 shows a motor-driven surgical cutting and fastening instrumentthat may or may not be reused, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 shows an end effector with a side wiping electrode positionedalong the periphery of one of the jaws of the end effector, according tosome embodiments.

FIG. 3 shows an example of how multiple electrodes may be included atthe end effector of the surgical instrument.

FIG. 4 shows another example placement for electrodes, in this case,having two separate strips of electrodes placed longitudinally on thesides of the stapling surface, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 shows a close-up view of the distal end of the jaw having the twoelectrodes, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show another example implementation for the end effectorcontaining an electrically isolated electrode; in this case showing theelectrode placed on the outer edge of the top surface of the jaw,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 8 shows yet another example implementation of electrodes positionedon the end effector of a surgical instrument; in this case, showing twoshort strips of electrodes positioned at the distal end of the endeffector, on the bottom jaw, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9 shows another variation of the cauterizing or coagulating tip; inthis case with the electrodes oriented at a 90° offset compared to thepositions of the electrodes in FIG. 8, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 10 shows yet another example implementation for placement of one ormore electrodes on the end effector, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 11 shows a sleeve coupled with electrodes slidably attached to atop jaw, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 12 shows an example of the slidable sleeve separated from aconventional anvil top jaw.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of where a wire may exit the sleeve to beattached to a power generator for powering the electrode.

FIG. 14 shows the pocket side of the anvil with the attachable sleevecoupled to the opposite top side of the anvil jaw.

FIG. 15 shows a close-up view of the top side of the anvil, with thesleeve attached.

FIG. 16 provides another close-up view of the proximal end of the anvil.

FIG. 17 shows a head-on perspective view of the anvil having theattachable sleeve.

FIG. 18 shows the electrodes for coagulating in a sealing procedure maybe installed in the stapler cartridge, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 19 shows another example implementation of a stapler cartridgecoupled with electrodes, in this case including a pair of wipingelectrodes shown to be running in parallel along the length of thelateral sides of the stapler cartridge.

FIG. 20 shows a perspective view of an end effector having a standard orconventional removable stapler cartridge.

FIG. 21 shows an overall view of the surgical instrument, with theinclusion of a power and control assembly featuring a nozzle slidablyattached to the shaft, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 22 shows a close-up profile view of the nozzle.

FIG. 23 shows a perspective view of the nozzle rotated 180° along thelongitudinal axis of the shaft.

FIG. 24 provides another perspective view of the nozzle in context withthe surrounding shaft and handle assembly.

FIG. 25 illustrates an alternative power and control assembly; in thiscase including a slidable shaft coupled to a nozzle, all of which may beslidably attached over the shaft and coupled to the handle assembly,according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 26-28 provide illustrations of an insert molded slidableelectrical contact that allows for the power and control assembly tostably attach to the shaft while providing power to the electrodes atthe end effector, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 29-31 provide illustrations of the power and control assembly withan external clamp to help fasten or snap on the power and controlassembly to the surgical instrument, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 32-35 provide example views of a button configured to enable powerto the electrodes at the end effector, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 36-38 provide illustrations of an alternative design for varyingthe power applied to the electrodes; in this case, including a sensorplaced along a measuring or sliding strip.

FIG. 39 provides an illustration of a band coupled to the distal end ofthe shaft and including an electrical connector with wires electricallycoupled to the power and control assembly at the proximal end of theshaft.

FIG. 40 shows an alternative implementation for connecting the power andcontrol assembly to a detachable apparatus including the electrodes; inthis case, including an outer cartridge housing having electrodescoupled to the cartridge.

FIG. 41 illustrates that the articulation of the end effector may stillbe possible in the example design of FIG. 40 due to the length of thewire providing enough give to allow sufficient articulation.

FIG. 42 shows a cross-sectional view of the electrode housing of FIG.40.

FIGS. 43-48 illustrate another alternative design to electricallyconnecting the electrodes at the end effector to the power and controlassembly; in this case including a shaft portion and a nozzle portionboth configured to slide over the original shaft of the surgicalinstrument, and including a conductive pad at the distal end of theshaft.

FIG. 49 is a block diagram of a surgical system comprising amotor-driven surgical cutting and fastening instrument coupled to agenerator, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 50 is a simplified block diagram of one form of the wired generatorin FIG. 49 for providing inductorless tuning, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 51 is a part schematic part block diagram illustrating an RF driveand control circuitry described as one form of the internal generator inFIG. 49 used in some embodiments to generate and control the RFelectrical energy supplied to the electrodes in the end effector.

FIG. 52 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of thecontroller in the internal generator of FIG. 51.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings,similar symbols and reference characters typically identify similarcomponents throughout the several views, unless context dictatesotherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detaileddescription, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Otherembodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, withoutdeparting from the scope of the subject matter presented here.

The following description of certain examples of the technology shouldnot be used to limit its scope. Other examples, features, aspects,embodiments, and advantages of the technology will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from the following description, which is by wayof illustration, one of the best modes contemplated for carrying out thetechnology. As will be realized, the technology described herein iscapable of other different and obvious aspects, all without departingfrom the technology. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions shouldbe regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

It is further understood that any one or more of the teachings,expressions, embodiments, examples, etc., described herein may becombined with any one or more of the other teachings, expressions,embodiments, examples, etc., that are described herein. Thefollowing-described teachings, expressions, embodiments, examples, etc.should, therefore, not be viewed in isolation relative to each other.Various suitable ways in which the teachings herein may be combined willbe readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of theteachings herein. Such modifications and variations are intended to beincluded within the scope of the claims.

Also, in the following description, it is to be understood that termssuch as front, back, inside, outside, top, bottom and the like are wordsof convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms.Terminology used herein is not meant to be limiting insofar as devicesdescribed herein, or portions thereof, may be attached or utilized inother orientations. The various embodiments will be described in moredetail with reference to the drawings. Throughout this disclosure, theterm “proximal” is used to describe the side of a component, e.g., ashaft, a handle assembly, etc., closer to a user operating the surgicalinstrument, e.g., a surgeon, and the term “distal” is used to describethe side of the component further from the user operating the surgicalinstrument.

Aspects of the present disclosure are presented for a surgicalinstrument configured for cutting and sealing tissue using a blade and asurgical stapler system coupled with electrodes positioned on the sidesfor sealing small blood vessels and other ducts. A common use of thesurgical instrument presented herein includes performing a hepatectomy,often referred to as a liver resection. A liver resection generallyinvolves the surgical removal of all or a portion of the liver. A liverresection may be needed for removing tumors (benign or malignant) orother diseased portions of a liver, as well as for removing part of aliver for liver transplant.

A surgical instrument with a long, narrow end effector, sometimesincluding a blade or other cutting instrument, conventionally is used toperform the resection procedure. The end effector may include a pair ofjaws to clamp down on the intended area of the liver to be divided, andmay include a cutting element in between the jaws to resection theliver. The surgical instrument often may include a fastening (e.g.,stapling) element, such that larger vessels and other ducts in theparenchyma of the liver may be sealed with the aide of the fasteningelement, for example, by clasping tissue between the two jaws of thesurgical instrument and stapling the tissue together. However, there isa challenge to control sealing and prevent bleeding from other, smallervessels present in the parenchyma. Conventionally, a second device maybe used by the surgeon that applies electrosurgical energy (e.g., radiofrequency (RF) energy) to the surgical site in a careful wiping motionthat causes coagulation of the smaller vessels. However, it would bemore efficient and safer if the surgeon did not need to switch betweenmultiple devices to complete sealing of the resected liver. The space tooperate on is quite narrow for most of the procedure, and it thereforemay be inconvenient and even dangerous to continually switch betweenmultiple devices.

Aspects of the present disclosure include a surgical device comprisingelectrodes on the sides of the end of effector to aide in sealing duringa surgical procedure such as a liver resection. During a sealingprocedure, the surgeon may wipe the surgical site with the end effector,causing the electrodes to touch the fractured area. Electrosurgicalenergy may be applied to the electrodes during the wiping, causingcoagulation of smaller vessels, such as tiny blood vessels and bileducts in the parenchyma of the liver. Also, due to the sponge-like and“friable” consistency of the liver tissue, electrosurgical energy shouldbe delicately applied to cause sealing but to avoid overly damaging theliver. In some embodiments, the thin design of the electrodes allows foran appropriate amount of electrosurgical energy to be applied to thefractured area of the liver to seal bile ducts and small vessels.

In some embodiments, an attachable sleeve, including the electrodes onthe sides is presented that can be fitted onto existing surgicalstaplers. That is, conventional surgical devices used to perform thecutting portion of the liver resection may essentially be retrofittedwith an attachable sleeve to provide the additional functionality ofsealing the smaller vessels.

In some embodiments, the surgical device includes a replaceable staplecartridge that supplies the staples and also includes the electrodes onthe sides. In this way, conventional surgical devices used to performthe cutting portion and the sealing of larger vessels also may beessentially retrofitted to provide the additional functionality ofsealing the smaller vessels when utilizing a cartridge according toaspects of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, an attachable power and control system to supplyenergy to the electrodes is presented. The attachable power and controlsystem may be configured to slide over the shaft of the surgical device,or in other cases, clamp onto the surgical device. The power and controlsystem also may be configured to supply power to the electrodes and tocontrol when energy is applied to the electrodes, based in part, forexample, on measuring a distance or angle of the opening of the jaws atthe end effector. For example, the control system may be configured tosupply RF energy only when it is determined that the jaws are closed orsubstantially in a closed position.

Referring to FIG. 1, depicted is a motor-driven surgical cutting andfastening instrument 10 that may or may not be reused. In theillustrated example, the instrument 10 includes a housing 12 thatcomprises a handle assembly 14 that is configured to be grasped,manipulated, and actuated by the user, such as a surgeon. The housing 12is configured to operate an end effector 30 configured to perform one ormore surgical tasks or procedures, through components in a shaft 20operably coupled thereto. While examples of a user as described hereinmay include a human user such as a surgeon, it will be understood thatthe various unique and novel arrangements of the various forms of thesurgical device disclosed herein also may be effectively employed inconnection with robotically-controlled surgical systems. Thus, the term“housing” also may encompass a housing or similar portion of a roboticsystem that houses or otherwise operably supports at least one drivesystem that is configured to generate and apply at least one controlmotion that could be used to actuate the end effector assembliesdisclosed herein and their respective equivalents. The term “frame” mayrefer to a portion of a handheld surgical instrument. The term “frame”also may represent a portion of a robotically controlled surgicalinstrument and/or a portion of the robotic system that may be used tooperably control a surgical instrument. For example, the interchangeableshaft assemblies disclosed herein may be employed with various roboticsystems, instruments, components and methods disclosed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/118,241, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTSWITH ROTATABLE STAPLE DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. US 2012/0298719. U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/118,241, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITHROTATABLE STAPLE DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. US 2012/0298719, is incorporated by reference herein inits entirety.

The housing 12 depicted in FIG. 1 is shown in connection with a shaftassembly 20 that includes an end effector 30 that comprises a surgicalcutting and fastening device that is configured to operably support asurgical staple cartridge 34 therein. The end effector 30 includeselectrodes (not shown) coupled to the sides or at least on the peripheryof the end effector 30 structure that are configured to supplyelectrosurgical energy to a surgical site to coagulate and seal tissue.An attachable or integrated power and control assembly 40 is also shownthat is configured to supply power to the electrodes and to controlactivation of the electrodes. Further details of the electrodes and thepower and control assembly 40 will be shown in the following figures.Furthermore, the end effectors, shaft assemblies, handles, surgicalinstruments, and/or surgical instrument systems described herein canutilize any suitable fastener, or fasteners, to fasten tissue. Forinstance, a fastener cartridge comprising a plurality of fastenersremovably stored therein can be removably inserted into and/or attachedto the end effector of a shaft assembly.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the handle assembly 14 may comprise a pair ofinterconnectable handle housing segments 16 and 18 that may beinterconnected by screws, snap features, adhesive, etc. In theillustrated arrangement, the handle housing segments 16, 18 cooperate toform a pistol grip portion 19 that can be gripped and manipulated by thesurgeon. The handle assembly 14 may operably support a plurality ofdrive systems therein that are configured to generate and apply variouscontrol motions to corresponding portions of the shaft and end effector.

Regarding the end effector 30 in FIG. 1, the surgical end effector 30may comprise an elongated channel 32 that is configured to operablysupport the staple cartridge 34 therein. The end effector 30 may furtherinclude an anvil 36 that is pivotally supported relative to theelongated channel 32. The shaft assembly 20 may further include anarticulation joint 27 and an articulation lock which can be configuredto releasably hold the end effector 30 in a desired position relative toan axis parallel to the shaft assembly 20. Examples of details regardingthe construction and operation of the end effector 30, the articulationjoint 27 and the articulation lock are set forth in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/803,086, filed Mar. 14, 2013, titledARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ARTICULATION LOCK, nowU.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0263541, the entiredisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. As shownin later figures, the shaft assembly 20 can further include a proximalattachable housing or nozzle 40 comprised of nozzle portions 42 and 44.The shaft assembly 20 can further include a closure tube 260 which canbe utilized to close and/or open the anvil 36 of the end effector 30.

In use, a closure tube 26 is translated distally (direction “DD”) toclose the anvil 36, for example, in response to the actuation of theclosure trigger 38. The anvil 36 is closed by distally translating theclosure tube 26, causing it to strike a proximal surface on the anvil36, for example, in the manner described in the aforementioned referenceU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/803,086, now U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2014/0263541. As was also described in detail in thatreference, the anvil 36 is opened by proximally translating the closuretube 26 and a shaft closure sleeve assembly (not shown) in direction PD,causing a tab and a horseshoe aperture to contact and push against theanvil tab to lift the anvil 36. In the anvil-open position, the shaftclosure tube 26 is moved to its proximal position.

Examples of Wiping Electrodes

Referring to FIG. 2, an end effector 30 is shown with a side wipingelectrode 206 positioned along the periphery of one of the jaws of theend effector 30, according to some embodiments. As previously described,there is a challenge to effectively seal smaller vessels and otherparenchymal wall tissue in certain procedures, such as in a liverresection. The electrodes on the side may be configured to supplyelectrosurgical energy to a parenchymal wall to coagulate and, therebycause sealing of the smaller vessels.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the electrode 206 is shown as a thin striprunning along the lateral side of one of the jaws 202 of the endeffector 30. The electrode 206 is also shown to run vertically up thedistal end of the jaw 202, and then run horizontally along the distalend of the stapling surface; in this case, forming a V shape to matchthe contour of the distal end. Not shown, the electrode 206 may continuein a symmetrical formation along the opposite lateral side of the jaw202. The electrode 206 may be affixed to the jaw 202 in various ways,including via glue, clamps or other fasteners, and molding into thedesign of the jaw 202 during manufacturing stages. Not shown, theelectrode 206 may be powered via a power and control assemblyelectrically coupled to the electrode 206 by one or more wires.

As shown, the jaw 202 includes the stapler firing mechanism configuredto fire the staples through the slots 204. Not shown is the second jawthat would be configured to pivotally close on top of the jaw 202,acting as an anvil to close and fasten the staples to tissue at thesurgical site. In some embodiments, the end effector 30 may include astaple-firing mechanism affixed to the jaw 202, while in other cases,the staple-firing mechanism may be replaceable as a staple cartridge. Insome cases, the electrode 206 may be affixed to a permanent structure ofthe end effector 30. In other cases, the electrode 206 may be a part ofa replaceable staple cartridge, embodiments of which are describedfurther below.

Referring to FIG. 3, in some embodiments, multiple electrodes may beincluded at the end effector 30 of the surgical instrument. Here,electrodes 302 a and 302 b are shown and positioned to run along theperiphery of the bottom jaw 202 in parallel. In this case, bothelectrodes 302 a and 302 b run along the outer periphery of the distalend of the end effector 30. In this example design, an anvil 36 canpivotally close on top of the jaw 202 while the electrodes 302 a and 302b may still be exposed at the distal end of the end effector 30 to wipea tissue wall at a surgical site.

Referring to FIG. 4, another example placement for electrodes is shown,according to some embodiments. Here, two separated strips of electrodes402 and 404 are placed longitudinally on the sides of the staplingsurface of the jaw 406. In between the electrodes 402 and 404 is thestapling surface 410 containing one or more rows of firing slots 408 forthe staples. Having multiple separated strips of electrodes may allowfor multiple options and uses of the electrodes. For example, varyinglevels of power may be applied to the different electrodes 402 and 404,such that one electrode may be configured to cause coagulation at thesurgical site, while another may be more highly powered and configuredto cut tissue. Thus, this example allows for one side of the endeffector 30 to perform sealing functionality, while the other side maybe configured to perform cutting functionality. In some embodiments, theelectrodes 402 and 404 may be installed into replaceable staplecartridges such that one set of cartridges may be configured to performcutting on a first side due to the higher powered electrode on saidfirst side, while a second set of cartridges may be configured toperform the cutting on the opposite side due to the higher partelectrode placed on said opposite side.

Referring to FIG. 5, a close-up view of the distal end of the jaw 406having the two electrodes 402 and 404 is shown. The electrodes 402 and404 do not touch with one another at the distal end, and are separatedby the stapling surface 410. It is noted that in this case, theplacement of the electrodes of 402 and 404 being on the top surface ofthe jaw 406 physically limits exposure of a tissue wall to theelectrodes 402 and 404. This may be by design, in that, in someembodiments, it is intended for the electrodes to not be fully exposedagainst the tissue wall to more carefully limit when the electrodes areactually designed to touch the tissue wall. In this case, if at leastone of the electrodes 402 or 404 is implemented to perform cuttingfunctionality, then it would be prudent to limit the exposure of saidelectrode, like shown.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, another example implementation for the endeffector 30 containing an electrically isolated electrode is shown.Here, the electrode 602 is placed on the outer edge of the top surfaceof the jaw 612. A semicircle ring 606 connects the distal ends of twoelectrodes 602 running longitudinally along multiple rows of stapleslots 608. In this example, a cutting element is present in the middleof the staple slots 608, as shown by the available cutting element slot610. Thus, in some embodiments, the end effector 30 may be configured toperform cutting, fastening, and sealing functionalities all in one. Inaddition, in this case, the anvil 604 may be configured to interact withthe electrode 602 when performing a sealing procedure. For example,power may be supplied to the electrode 602 when the anvil 604 is closedon to the stapling jaw 612, such as when the jaws may be closed on liverparenchyma containing larger vessels that are stapled. While the largervessels are being stapled, power may be applied to the electrode 602 toseal smaller vessels and ducts around the larger vessels. FIG. 7 showsanother perspective view of this example end effector 30.

Referring to FIG. 8, illustration 800 shows yet another exampleimplementation of electrodes positioned on the end effector of asurgical instrument, according to some embodiments. Here, two shortstrips of electrodes 802 may be positioned at the distal end of the endeffector, on the bottom jaw 202. These electrodes 802 may be purposed toact as a cauterizing or coagulating tip of the end effector. In someembodiments, the angled portion of the distal end of the end effectormay allow for more accessible reach to coagulate or seal tissue.Illustration 800 presents the example end effector in the context of asurgical site 804. For example, the surgical site 804 may include aportion of the liver in the process of being resected.

Referring to FIG. 9, illustration 900 shows another variation of thecauterizing or coagulating tip, this time with the electrodes 902oriented at a 90° offset compared to the positions of the electrodes802.

Referring to FIG. 10, illustration 1000 shows yet another exampleimplementation for placing one or more electrodes, according to someembodiments. A profile view of an end effector includes a stapling jaw1006 and an anvil jaw 1004, configured to pivotally close on to thebottom jaw 1006. Positioned at the distal end or tip of the bottom jaw1006 may be placed in electrode 1002, shown here as being bent to runvertically and horizontally along the distal end. This alternativedesign may allow for some versatility for touching and wiping a tissuewall from various angles. For example, this end effector may beconfigured to coagulate tissue when the anvil jaw 1004 is closed, due toa portion of the electrode 1002 still being exposed at the tip of theend effector. In addition, tissue that is clamped between the jaws 1004and 1006 also may be sealed by the electrode 1002.

Based on the examples in FIGS. 2-10, it may be apparent that theplacement and designs of the electrode can vary, so long as theelectrode may be sufficiently exposed to touch the tissue walls at asurgical site to satisfy varying purposes and functionalities. Inaddition, it may be apparent that one or more of the exampleimplementations may be combined or modified by any of the other exampleimplementations, and embodiments are not so limited.

Referring to FIG. 11, illustration 1100 shows a sleeve 1102 coupled withelectrodes 1106 slidably attached to a top jaw 1108, according to someembodiments. The top jaw 1108 may act as the anvil to a staplermechanism and includes the crimper divots 1104 for closing the staples.The slidable sleeve 1102 including the electrodes 1106 may allow forconventional stapler surgical instruments to be essentially retrofittedwith the coagulation swiping functionality afforded by the laterallypositioned electrodes 1106. That is, the sleeve 1102 may be formed ormolded to attach onto existing anvils of an end effector.

Referring to FIG. 12, shown is an example of the slidable sleeve 1102separated from the conventional anvil 1104. An electrode 1106 is fixedlyattached to the sleeve 1102, which may allow for the end effector toinclude the wiping functionality that it might not otherwise have.Referring to FIG. 13, a dashed line 1302 illustrates an example of wherea wire may exit the sleeve 1102 to be attached to a power generator forpowering the electrode 1106. Further discussion on example powergenerators and control apparatuses will be discussed in later figures.

Referring to FIG. 14, the pocket side of the anvil 1108 is shown. Here,a fastening clamp 1402 is shown to demonstrate how the sleeve 1102 maybe coupled to the anvil 1108. It may be apparent from this illustrationthat the electrodes 1106 are fully exposed on the lateral sides of theanvil 1108, while still allowing for the crimper divots 1404 to be fullyaccessed by the firing staple mechanism, not shown. In addition, in someembodiments, a cutting slot 1410 may be available in the pocket side ofthe anvil 1108 to allow for a cutting element to slide in between thestapling elements. Regardless, the example design of the sleeve 1102allows for full functionality of the cutting and fastening elements ofthe surgical instrument, while still adding the additional functionalityof a sealing mechanism through the electrodes 1106.

Referring to FIG. 15, a close-up view of the top side of the anvil 1108is shown, with the sleeve 1102 attached. Also shown is a partial view ofthe fastening clamp 1402 to provide perspective of how the fasteningclamp is connected to the rest of the sleeve 1102. FIG. 16 providesanother close-up view of the proximal end of the anvil 1108. As shown,the electrode 1106 may not extend fully across the entire length of theanvil 1108. In this case, a supporting wing structure 1610 is formedinto the anvil 1108 at the proximal end, providing support for when theanvil 1108 closes on to the bottom jaw, but also may limit the exposureof the electrode 1106 on the sleeve 1102. Certainly, other exampleimplementations for a sleeve having electrodes and being adapted toslidably attached to existing jaws of a stapler surgical instrument arepossible and contemplated within the scope of the present disclosures,and embodiments are not so limited.

Referring to FIG. 17, a head-on perspective view of the anvil 1108having the attachable sleeve 1102 is shown. From this perspective, onecan see an example of how the sleeve 1102 smoothly fits onto the anvil1108. In addition, it is apparent how the electrodes 1106 are exposed onthe sides of the anvil 1108. Also shown are the wing structures 1610,the cutting slot 1410, and the housing structure for the crimping divots1404. It should be noted that the view presented in this illustrationmay make it difficult to appreciate a degree of depth still present inthe structure of the anvil 1108. For example, the wing structures 1610are still present only toward the proximal side of the anvil 1108, suchas what is shown in FIG. 16.

Referring to FIG. 18, in some embodiments, the electrodes forcoagulating in a sealing procedure may be installed in the staplercartridge. Here, the elongated channel 32 (see FIG. 1) may supportinstallation of a specially configured staple cartridge 1805 having oneor more electrodes 1810 fixedly coupled on at least one lateral edge ofthe staple cartridge 1805. Also shown is the anvil portion 36 in aclosed position over the staple cartridge 1805 to demonstrate how theelectrode 1810 may still remain exposed. In this way, existing orconventional fastening surgical instruments with stapler elements may beessentially retrofitted with additional sealing functionality to sealsmaller vessels or ducts by replacing older stapler cartridges with onesthat include one or more electrodes.

Referring to FIG. 19, another example implementation of a staplercartridge 1900 coupled with electrodes is shown. The stapler cartridge1900 includes a pair of wiping electrodes 1910 a and 1910 b, shown to berunning in parallel along the length of the lateral sides of the staplercartridge 1900. The stapler cartridge 1900 is shown to fit into theelongated channel 32. The lateral sides of the stapler cartridge 1900may be built to extend beyond the confines of the elongated channel 32so that the wiper electrodes 1910 a in 1910 b may be sufficientlyexposed to touch a tissue wall at a surgical site. In other cases, thethickness of the wiping electrodes 1910 a and 1910 b may extend beyondthe confines of the elongated channel 32.

Also shown are portions of the electrodes 1910 a and 1910 b that runalong the top surface of the stapler cartridge 1900. In someembodiments, the electrodes may run only on the top surface or only onthe lateral sides of the stapler cartridge; while in other cases, acombination of both may be used, and embodiments are not so limited.

Referring to FIG. 20, a perspective view of an end effector having astandard or conventional removable stapler cartridge 34 is shown. FIG.20 provides an illustration of where a side wiping electrode may bepositioned to fit onto a replaceable stapler cartridge 34. For example,a cutout space 2002 located on the corner edge of the stapler cartridge34 provides exposure just beyond the wall of the elongated channel 32. Aside wiping electrode may be fitted to be placed within this cutoutspace 2002, as merely one example. Based on this design, the anvil 36does not need to be redesigned or modified in order to still close ontothe stapling areas of the stapler cartridge 34, while still allowing forthe electrodes to be exposed to reach a tissue wall at a surgical site.

Examples of Power and Control Assemblies for Wiping Electrodes

Referring to FIG. 21, an overall view of the surgical instrument 10 isrevisited, here showing the inclusion of a power and control assemblyfeaturing nozzle 40 slidably attached to the shaft 20, according to someembodiments. The nozzle 40 may include an electrical coupling connector2106 that is coupled to the shaft 20. The connector 2106 may includeports to bridge wires 2102 and 2104, where the wires 2102 connect to apower supply, such as a power generator or a plug to an outlet of a wallsocket, and the wire 2104 connects to the electrodes at the end effector30. In some embodiments, the nozzle 40 may be slidably positioned byfirst ensuring that the end effector 30 is closed and then sliding thenozzle 40 over the end effector 30 and ultimately to the proximal end ofthe shaft 20. The slidable configuration of the nozzle 40 may enableexisting surgical instruments to be essentially retrofitted with a powerand control assembly for wiping electrodes positioned at various placesat the end effector 30. Examples of the various positions andattachments to add the coagulation wiping functionality of theelectrodes are provided in the previous figures and associateddescriptions, above.

Referring to FIG. 22, a close-up profile view of the nozzle 40 isprovided. Shown herein are close-up views of the coupling connector2106, the wires 2102, and the wire 2104. In some embodiments, at leastpart of the nozzle 40 may be configured to rotate along the longitudinalaxis of the shaft 20.

Referring to FIG. 23, a perspective view of the nozzle 40 rotated 180°along the longitudinal axis of the shaft 20 is shown. As shown, theconnector 2106 is coupled to the shaft 20 and provides a bridge to wires2302, 2304, and 2104. Of note, the two wires 2302 and 2304 are connectedvia plug 2312, while a single wire 2104 runs out to the electrodes atthe end effector 30, not shown. One of the wires, e.g., wire 2302, maybe electrically coupled to the shaft 20 to act as a ground wire, in someembodiments. Also shown are multiple grooves 2310 along the nozzle 40 toallow a user to better grip the nozzle 44 attaching to the shaft 20 andin some cases rotating the nozzle 40 in some configurations. Inaddition, the proximal end of the nozzle 40 may have formed fingergrooves by including knobs 2306 equidistant spaced based around theproximal end of the nozzle 40, as shown. A user may then controlrotation of the nozzle 40 by applying torqued leverage to the knobs2306. In some embodiments, power buttons 2308 may be included, eachplaced within the grooves and between the knobs 2306. The power buttons2308 may be configured to activate the electrodes when pressed byenabling power supplied through the wires 2304 and 2104, in someembodiments. FIG. 24 provides another perspective view of the nozzle 40in context with the surrounding shaft 20 and handle assembly 12. Shownis the closure trigger 38, configured to manipulate one or both jaws atthe end effector 30, not shown. For example, a user may hold the handleassembly 12 including the trigger 38 in one hand, while still being ableto control the electrodes via the power buttons 2308 on the nozzle 40with the other hand. In some cases, both the closure trigger 38 and thenozzle 40 may be manipulated with a single hand; for example, byrotating the nozzle 40 via the knobs 2306 with the user's index fingerwhile still gripping the closure trigger and the pistol grip portion 19.

Referring to FIG. 25, an alternative power and control assembly 2500 isshown; in this case including a slidable shaft 2520 coupled to a nozzle2510, all of which may be slidably attached over the shaft 20 andcoupled to the handle assembly 12, according to some embodiments. Theoriginal portions of the surgical device in this figure are drawn to betransparent, in order to distinguish the conventional surgical devicefrom the attachable power and control assembly 2500. This design mayallow for various alternatives for electrically coupling the electrodesat the end effector 30 to the shaft 2520, rather than drawing wires allthe way along the shaft to the nozzle 2510.

Referring to FIGS. 26-28, an insert-molded slidable electrical contact2602 is provided that allows for the power and control assembly tostably attach to the shaft 20 while providing power to the electrodes atthe end effector 30, according to some embodiments. FIG. 27 shows anexample design and shape of the slidable electrical contact 2602. Thesemicircular shape allows for the contact to slide along the shaft 20and to ultimately snap on to the shaft 20 to stably connect the nozzle40. The top of the electrical contact 2602 may be electrically coupledto one of the wires from the plug 2312. The electrical contact 2602 maybe made of an electrically conductive material, such that the wireconnected to the contacts 2602 is subsequently electrically coupled tothe metal shaft 20. The electrical contact 2602 therefore may act as agrounding to the shaft 20, thereby establishing a voltage potentialdifference to supply power to the electrodes at the end effector 30through the remaining wire connected through wire 2104.

FIG. 26 is an illustration showing the electrical contact 2602 in useinside the nozzle 40 portion of the power and control assembly,according to some embodiments. As shown, the top portion of theelectrical contact 2602 is connected to the plug 2312, whereby one ofthe wires is electrically coupled to the top of the electrical contact2602. The semicircle ring of the electrical contact 2602 is shown to beslightly detached from the shaft 20. This is to allow the power andcontrol assembly to slide over the end effector 30 and over the shaft 20and into place at the proximal end of the shaft 20. The electricalcontact 2602 may then be snapped into place, either through a mechanicalswitch to pull the electrical contact 2602 into place, or throughexternal means that constrict or tighten the surrounding contact area.Once snapped into place, the electrical contact 2602 additionally incursthe nozzle 42 and the shaft 20, such that any longitudinal movements ofthe shaft 20 to affect closure of one or more of the jaws at the endeffector 30 may be detected and measured by the power and controlassembly. As described more below, measuring the distance or movement ofthe shaft 20 may provide variable means to determine how much powershould be applied to the electrodes at the end effector 30, according tosome embodiments.

FIG. 28 is an illustration showing a rotated perspective view of theelectrical contact 2602 being electrically coupled to the shaft 20. Aspreviously mentioned, one of the wires connected to the plug 2312 may beelectrically coupled to the electrical contact 2602 to completegrounding to the shaft 20. Meanwhile, the other wire connected to theplug 2312 runs along the shaft 20 through the piping 2104 toelectrically couple to the electrodes at the end effector 30.

Referring to FIGS. 29-31, the power and control assembly is shown withan external clamp 2902 to help fasten or snap on the power and controlassembly to the surgical instrument, according to some embodiments. FIG.31 shows a cross-sectional view of the clamp 2902. As shown, the clamp2902 includes a circular portion with curved ends. The circular portionis configured to wrap around the portion of the power and controlassembly that includes the electrical contact 2602. The circular portionof the clamp 2902 is molded to wrap around more than 180° of thecircular shaft, and is configured to be somewhat bendable, allowing forthe clamp 2902 to snap into place.

FIG. 29 shows how the clamp 2902 may be applied to the electricalcontact portion of the power and control assembly, according to someembodiments. A cross-sectional cutout is shown to provide detail of someof the inner workings and interactions between the shaft 20 and theelectrical contact 2602 of the power and control assembly. For example,the outer casing 2906 of the power control assembly forms a thin layercovering the electrical contact 2602. The outer casing 2906 may bemolded or formed to provide some space or leeway to slide along theshaft 20 before being snapped into place. Once properly positioned, theclamp 2902 may be placed around the outer casing 2906 to fasten thepower and control assembly securely to the shaft 20. At this time, theelectrical contact 2602 may then be fastened to be in physical contactwith the shaft 20 so that the ground connection can be established. Inaddition, the electrical contact 2602 may be configured to slide alongwith the shaft 20 as the shaft is moved longitudinally to open and closeat least one of the jaws of the end effector 30. This longitudinalmovement of the electrical contact 2602 may be utilized to vary inamount of power applied to the electrodes, which will be described inmore detail, below.

Referring to FIG. 30, a semi-transparent view of the power controlassembly is shown, where the outer casing 2602 is made transparent toreveal the results of the clamp 2902 being fastened to the area housingthe electrical contact 2602. As shown, the clamp 2902 may allow theelectrical contact 2602 to be securely fastened to the shaft 20.

FIGS. 32-35 provide example views of a button 3202 configured to enablepower to the electrodes at the end effector 30, according to someembodiments. For example, when the button 3202 is activated, a degree ofpower applied to the electrodes at the end effector 30 may be variedbased on a degree of opening or closing of at least one of the jaws atthe end effector 30. For example, it made be desirable to apply or allowenergy to be applied to the electrodes only when the anvil is closed, orsubstantially closed with the stapler cartridge. This may be because theclinician may desire to ensure that any sealing or coagulationprocedures are capable of being performed only at the proper times. Whenthe anvil is open or separated from the stapler cartridge, it is likelythat a grasping action of the tissue is going to be performed. Duringthis time, it therefore may not be desirable to activate the electrodes.On the other hand, once the jaws have properly grasped tissue, it may bedesirable then to activate the electrodes to cause sealing in some ofthe targeted tissue. Thus, power to the electrodes may be applied indirect proportion to a degree of closure of the jaws. The button 3202may be pressed, either manually or locked into place, to activate thiscontrol aspect.

FIG. 32 shows a perspective view of the nozzle 40 having the button3202. As shown, the clinician may press the button 3202 convenientlywith his thumb or one of his fingers. FIG. 33 shows a profile view ofthe nozzle 40 having the button 3202. FIG. 35 shows a wider profile viewof the button 3202 in the context of other components of the nozzle 40.

Referring to FIG. 34, a semi-transparent view of a portion of the nozzle40 is shown to provide additional details of how the button 3202 maycontrol power to the electrodes, according to some embodiments. Shownhere is a tumbler 3402 coupled to the button 3202. The tumbler 3402 fitsinto a slot 3404 that allows the tumbler 3402 to slide some allowabledistance. The tumbler 3402 also may be coupled to the electrical contact2602. As previously mentioned, the electrical contact 2602 is physicallyand electrically coupled to the shaft 20. The shaft 20 is configured totranslate back and forth longitudinally to cause opening and closing ofat least one of the jaws, e.g., the anvil, of the end effector 30. Thus,when the jaws are closed, the shaft 20, and, subsequently, the tumbler3402 coupled to the electrical contact 2602, may be translatedlongitudinally fully in one direction, such as in the direction DD.Conversely, when the jaws are opened, the shaft 20, and, subsequently,the tumbler 3402 coupled to the electrical contact 2602, may betranslated longitudinally fully in the other direction, such as in thedirection PD. When the button 3202 is pressed or locked into activation,a Hall effect sensor or other magnetic sensor within the slot 3404 maybe configured to measure a distance to the tumbler 3402. A processorelectrically coupled to the button 3202 and the sensor in the slot 3404may be configured to supply power to the electrodes at the end effector30, based on the measured distance to the tumbler 3402. The processor,not shown, may control the power supplied through the electrical contact2602. In some cases, power applied to the electrodes may be based indirect proportion to the distance measured of the tumbler 3402. In othercases, power applied to the electrodes may be based in a more binarymanner, such as power being turned on to the electrodes only when themeasured distance of the tumbler 3402 satisfies a certain distancethreshold, and is turned off in all other cases. In some embodiments,other energy properties of the electrodes may be controlled inproportion to the distance measured. For example, the pulse shape or thewaveform of the RF energy may be varied based on the measured distanceof the tumbler 3402. One form of a surgical system comprising agenerator and various surgical instruments that may be employed with themotor-driven surgical cutting and fastening instrument described hereinaccording to some embodiments, is described hereinbelow in connectionwith FIGS. 49 and 50.

Referring to FIGS. 36-38, an alternative design for varying the powerapplied to the electrodes is provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 36,a sensor 3602 may be placed along a measuring strip 3604. The sensor3602 and the measuring strip 3604 may be placed within a housing 3702,as shown in FIG. 37. The sensor 3602 may be configured to slide alongthe strip 3604, and may be spring biased against a wall on the distalend of the nozzle 40 within the housing 3702. The sensor 3602 may becoupled to the shaft 20, such that the sensor 3602 moves along the strip3604 as the shaft 20 is moved to open and close at least one of the jawsof the end effector 30. The strip 3604 may be electrically coupled to aprocessor and may be configured to vary in degree of power supplied tothe electrodes based on the position of the sensor 3602 sliding alongthe strip 3604. In other words, energy supplied to the electrodes isvaried based on displacement of the sensor 3602 along the strip 3604.

In an alternative design, referring to FIG. 38, the sensor 3602 housedin the housing 3702 may be placed in a fixed position. The sensor 3602may be configured to measure a degree of displacement of the electricalcontact 2602 as it slides under the housing 3702. Based on the measuredisplacement of the electrical contact 2602, a degree of jaw closure maybe determined, that may subsequently guide an amount of power suppliedto the electrodes.

Other slight variations utilizing components of this design includes asliding control system that is configured to supply power to theelectrodes when it is determined that the jaws are beginning to beclosed and turns power off when the closure ends. As another variation,the sliding control system may be configured to turn on power to theelectrodes when it is determined that the jaws are beginning to beclosed and turns power off after a predetermined amount of time based ona timing procedure, regardless of the position of the jaws.

Referring to FIGS. 39-48, example apparatuses for electrically couplingthe power and control assembly to the electrodes of the end effector 30are shown. As previously mentioned, the power and control assembly maybe a detachable apparatus from the existing surgical device. Inaddition, as previously mentioned, some embodiments include electrodesthat are also detachable from the end effector, such as being includedin a sleeve fitted to the anvil of the end effector or a replaceablecartridge including electrodes. In the cases where the electrodes arecomponents of detachable apparatuses, mechanisms must be provided toelectrically couple the electrodes to the detachable power and controlassembly. As one example, referring to FIG. 39, a band 3902 may becoupled to the distal end of the shaft 20 and may include an electricalconnector 3904 with wires 3908 and 3910 electrically coupled to thepower and control assembly at the proximal end of the shaft 20, notshown. The electrical connector 3904 may be configured to connect to anelectrically isolated plug 3906 that is electrically coupled to theelectrodes 3912 via wire 3914. In some embodiments, a stapler cartridge34 may include the electrodes 3912, while in other cases, a separate anddetachable outer casing 3916 that includes the electrodes 3912 may beconfigured to wrap over a portion of the stapler cartridge 34. The wire3914 may be configured to run along the outside of the end effector 30so as to avoid interfering with any of the procedures that may occurbetween the two jaws 34 and 36.

Referring to FIG. 40, an alternative implementation for connecting thepower and control assembly to a detachable apparatus including theelectrodes is shown, according to some embodiments. Here, an outercartridge housing 4002 having electrodes 4014 is coupled to thecartridge 34. The outer cartridge housing 4002 includes an outlet orother electrical connector 4006 to receive a plug 4004 connected to thepower and control assembly via wire 4008. The wire 4008 may beconfigured to deliver RF energy having one pole, while a second wire4010 connected to the power and control assembly having a second polemay be connected to a concentric band 4012 connecting to the shaft 20.As shown, the plug 4004 may be connected to the distal end of thehousing 4002, in contrast to the location of the plug in FIG. 39. Inthis configuration, the apparatus that includes the electrodes 4014 neednot have extra wires connected to it. In either case, the wires areshown to be positioned away from the jaws 34 and 36, so as to notinterfere with any surgical procedures.

FIG. 41 illustrates that the articulation of the end effector 30 maystill be possible due to the length of the wire 4008 providing enoughgive to allow sufficient articulation. Referring to FIG. 42, across-sectional view of the electrode housing 4002 is shown. Theelectrodes 4014 may be placed sufficiently on the top and/or on thesides of the housing 4002, as shown. The housing 4002 allows forsufficient placement of the cartridge 34 inside. In addition, the space4202 in between the electrodes 4014 is sufficient to enable stapling andcutting procedures.

FIGS. 43-48 illustrate another alternative design to electricallyconnecting the electrodes at the end effector 30 to the power andcontrol assembly, according to some embodiments. FIG. 43 shows oneexample of the power and control assembly 4300 including a shaft portion4304 and a nozzle portion 4306 both configured to slide over theoriginal shaft 20 of the surgical instrument (see FIG. 25). In addition,a conductive pad 4302 is included at the distal end of the shaft 4304,and is configured to be electrically coupled to a conductive adhesivethat is part of the electrode apparatus of the end effector 30. Theconductive pad 4302 may be made of copper, for example. The conductivepad 4302 may include conductive traces running along the inside of theshaft 4304 to the nozzle 4306 and other electrical components within.FIG. 44 shows a close-up perspective view of the conductive pad 4302. Insome embodiments, the pad 4302 also may be placed on the other side ofthe shaft 4304, located 180° opposite.

FIG. 45 shows an example of the end effector 30 having electrode 4508and a wire 4506 coupled to a flexible conductive pad 4502. Theconductive pad 4502 may be configured to attach to the shaft 4304 andthe conductive pad 4302 via an adhesive pad 4504. These illustrationsprovide an example alternative to supplying energy to the electrodes4508 without using a plug, such as those described in previous exampleembodiments.

FIG. 46 shows a close-up view of the flexible conductive pad 4502 andthe associated adhesive pad 4504. Any adhesive sufficient to connect tometal may be applied. In other cases, the shaft 4304, other than theconductive pad 4302, may be made of a nonmetal or have a nonmetalcoating, and the adhesive 4504 may be sufficient to adhere to thenonmetal surface. FIG. 47 shows a close-up view of the shaft 4304 havingconductive pads 4302 located on opposite sides of the shaft 4304. Thus,the shaft 4304 may be rotated and may still reach sufficient connectionwith the conductive pad 4502. FIG. 48 shows an application of theconductive pad 4502 about to be attached to the conductive pad 4302 ofthe shaft 4304.

Various features described herein may be incorporated in electrosurgicaldevices for applying electrical energy to tissue in order to treatand/or destroy the tissue are also finding increasingly widespreadapplications in surgical procedures. An electrosurgical device typicallyincludes a hand piece, an instrument having a distally-mounted endeffector (e.g., one or more electrodes). The end effector can bepositioned against the tissue such that electrical current is introducedinto the tissue. Electrosurgical devices can be configured for bipolaror monopolar operation. During bipolar operation, current is introducedinto and returned from the tissue by active and return electrodes,respectively, of the end effector. During monopolar operation, currentis introduced into the tissue by an active electrode of the end effectorand returned through a return electrode (e.g., a grounding pad)separately located on a patient's body. Heat generated by the currentflowing through the tissue may form hemostatic seals within the tissueand/or between tissues and thus may be particularly useful for sealingblood vessels, for example. The end effector of an electrosurgicaldevice also may include a cutting member that is movable relative to thetissue and the electrodes to transect the tissue.

Electrical energy applied by an electrosurgical device can betransmitted to the instrument by a generator in communication with thehand piece. The electrical energy may be in the form of radio frequency(“RF”) energy. RF energy is a form of electrical energy that may be inthe frequency range of 200 kilohertz (kHz) to 1 megahertz (MHz). Inapplication, an electrosurgical device can transmit low frequency RFenergy through tissue, which causes ionic agitation, or friction, ineffect resistive heating, thereby increasing the temperature of thetissue. Because a sharp boundary is created between the affected tissueand the surrounding tissue, surgeons can operate with a high level ofprecision and control, without sacrificing un-targeted adjacent tissue.The low operating temperatures of RF energy is useful for removing,shrinking, or sculpting soft tissue while simultaneously sealing bloodvessels. RF energy works particularly well on connective tissue, whichis primarily comprised of collagen and shrinks when contacted by heat.

FIG. 49 is a block diagram of a surgical system 4900 comprising amotor-driven surgical cutting and fastening instrument 10 (FIG. 1)coupled to a generator 4935 (4940), according to some embodiments. Themotor-driven surgical cutting and fastening instrument 10 described inthe present disclosure, may be coupled to a generator 4935 (4940)configured to supply power to the surgical instrument through externalor internal means, examples of which will be provided in more detailbelow. In certain instances, the motor-driven surgical cutting andfastening instrument 10 may include a microcontroller 4915 coupled to anexternal wired generator 4935 or internal generator 4940. Either theexternal generator 4935 or the internal generator 4940 may be coupled toA/C mains or may be battery operated or combinations thereof. Theelectrical and electronic circuit elements associated with themotor-driven surgical cutting and fastening instrument 10 and/or thegenerator elements 4935, 4940 may be supported by a control circuitboard assembly, for example. The microcontroller 4915 may generallycomprise a memory 4910 and a microprocessor 4905 (“processor”)operationally coupled to the memory 4910. The processor 4905 may controla motor driver 4920 circuit generally utilized to control the positionand velocity of the motor 4925. The motor 4925 may be configured tocontrol transmission of energy to the electrodes at the end effector ofthe surgical instrument. In certain instances, the processor 4905 cansignal the motor driver 4920 to stop and/or disable the motor 4925, asdescribed in greater detail below. In certain instances, the processor4905 may control a separate motor override circuit which may comprise amotor override switch that can stop and/or disable the motor 4925 duringoperation of the surgical instrument in response to an override signalfrom the processor 4905. It should be understood that the term processoras used herein includes any suitable microprocessor, microcontroller, orother basic computing device that incorporates the functions of acomputer's central processing unit (CPU) on an integrated circuit or atmost a few integrated circuits. The processor is a multipurpose,programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes itaccording to instructions stored in its memory, and provides results asoutput. It is an example of sequential digital logic, as it has internalmemory. Processors operate on numbers and symbols represented in thebinary numeral system.

In some cases, the processor 4905 may be any single core or multicoreprocessor such as those known under the trade name ARM Cortex by TexasInstruments. In some cases, any of the surgical instruments of thepresent disclosures may comprise a safety processor such as, forexample, a safety microcontroller platform comprising twomicrocontroller-based families such as TMS570 and RM4x known under thetrade name Hercules ARM Cortex R4, also by Texas Instruments.Nevertheless, other suitable substitutes for microcontrollers and safetyprocessor may be employed, without limitation. In one instance, thesafety processor may be configured specifically for IEC 61508 and ISO26262 safety critical applications, among others, to provide advancedintegrated safety features while delivering scalable performance,connectivity, and memory options.

In certain instances, the microcontroller 4915 may be an LM 4F230H5QR,available from Texas Instruments, for example. In at least one example,the Texas Instruments LM4F230H5QR is an ARM Cortex-M4F Processor Corecomprising on-chip memory 4910 of 256 KB single-cycle flash memory, orother non-volatile memory, up to 40 MHz, a prefetch buffer to improveperformance above 40 MHz, a 32 KB single-cycle serial random accessmemory (SRAM), internal read-only memory (ROM) loaded withStellarisWare® software, 2 KB electrically erasable programmableread-only memory (EEPROM), one or more pulse width modulation (PWM)modules, one or more quadrature encoder inputs (QEI) analog, one or more12-bit Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC) with 12 analog input channels,among other features that are readily available for the productdatasheet. Other microcontrollers may be readily substituted for use inthe motor-driven surgical cutting and fastening instrument 10.Accordingly, the present disclosure should not be limited in thiscontext.

Referring again to FIG. 49, the surgical system 4900 may include a wiredgenerator 4935, for example. In certain instances, the wired generator4935 may be configured to supply power through external means, such asthrough electrical wire coupled to an external generator. In some cases,the surgical system 4900 also may include or alternatively include aninternal generator 4940. The internal generator 4940 may be configuredto supply power through internal means, such as through battery power orother stored capacitive source. Further descriptions of the internalgenerator 4940 and the wired generator 4935 are described below.

In certain instances, the motor-driven surgical cutting and fasteninginstrument 10 may comprise one or more embedded applications implementedas firmware, software, hardware, or any combination thereof. In certaininstances, the motor-driven surgical cutting and fastening instrument 10may comprise various executable modules such as software, programs,data, drivers, and/or application program interfaces (APIs), forexample.

FIG. 50 is a simplified block diagram 5000 of one form of the generator4935 for providing inductorless tuning as described above, among otherbenefits. Additional details of the generator 4935 are described incommonly assigned and contemporaneously filed U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/896,360, titled “Surgical Generator For Ultrasonic AndElectrosurgical Devices,”, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,060,775, the disclosureof which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Withreference to FIG. 50, the generator 5000 may comprise a patient isolatedstage 5034 in communication with a non-isolated stage 5002 via a powertransformer 5032. A secondary winding 5036 of the power transformer 5032is contained in the isolated stage 5034 and may comprise a tappedconfiguration (e.g., a center-tapped or a non-center-tappedconfiguration) to define drive signal outputs 5038, 5044, 5048 foroutputting drive signals to different surgical devices, such as, forexample, a surgical device 10 having an end effector with electrodeslike in FIG. 2 and a different surgical device having an end effectorwith electrodes like in FIG. 4. In particular, drive signal outputs5044, 5048 may output an electrosurgical drive signal (e.g., a 100V RMSdrive signal) to a power and control assembly 40, with output 5044corresponding to the center tap of the power transformer 5032.

The non-isolated stage 5002 may comprise a power amplifier 5026 havingan output connected to a primary winding 5062 of the power transformer5032. In certain forms the power amplifier 5026 may be comprise apush-pull amplifier. For example, the non-isolated stage 5002 mayfurther comprise a logic device 5018 for supplying a digital output to adigital-to-analog converter (DAC) 5020, which in turn supplies acorresponding analog signal to an input of the power amplifier 5026. Incertain forms the logic device 5018 may comprise a programmable gatearray (PGA), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable logicdevice (PLD), among other logic circuits, for example. The logic device5018, by virtue of controlling the input of the power amplifier 5026 viathe DAC 5020, may therefore control any of a number of parameters (e.g.,frequency, waveform shape, waveform amplitude) of drive signalsappearing at the drive signal outputs 5038, 5044, 5048. In certain formsand as discussed below, the logic device 5018, in conjunction with aprocessor (e.g., a digital signal processor discussed below), mayimplement a number of digital signal processing (DSP)-based and/or othercontrol algorithms to control parameters of the drive signals output bythe generator 5000.

Power may be supplied to a power rail of the power amplifier 5026 by aswitch-mode regulator 5004. In certain forms the switch-mode regulator5004 may comprise an adjustable buck regulator, for example. Thenon-isolated stage 5002 may further comprise a first processor 5012,which in one form may comprise a DSP processor such as an Analog DevicesADSP-21469 SHARC DSP, available from Analog Devices, Norwood, Mass., forexample, although in various forms any suitable processor may beemployed. In certain forms the processor 5012 may control operation ofthe switch-mode power converter 5004 responsive to voltage feedback datareceived from the power amplifier 5026 by the DSP processor 5012 via ananalog-to-digital converter (ADC) 5008. In one form, for example, theDSP processor 5012 may receive as input, via the ADC 5008, the waveformenvelope of a signal (e.g., an RF signal) being amplified by the poweramplifier 5026. The DSP processor 5012 may then control the switch-moderegulator 5004 (e.g., via a pulse-width modulated (PWM) output) suchthat the rail voltage supplied to the power amplifier 5026 tracks thewaveform envelope of the amplified signal. By dynamically modulating therail voltage of the power amplifier 5026 based on the waveform envelope,the efficiency of the power amplifier 5026 may be significantly improvedrelative to a fixed rail voltage amplifier schemes.

In certain forms, the logic device 5018, in conjunction with the DSPprocessor 5012, may implement a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) controlscheme to control the waveform shape, frequency and/or amplitude ofdrive signals output by the generator 5000. In one form, for example,the logic device 5018 may implement a DDS control algorithm by recallingwaveform samples stored in a dynamically-updated look-up table (LUT),such as a RAM LUT, which may be embedded in an FPGA. Because thewaveform shape of a drive signal output by the generator 5000 isimpacted by various sources of distortion present in the output drivecircuit (e.g., the power transformer 5032, the power amplifier 5026),voltage and current feedback data based on the drive signal may be inputinto an algorithm, such as an error control algorithm implemented by theDSP processor 5012, which compensates for distortion by suitablypre-distorting or modifying the waveform samples stored in the LUT on adynamic, ongoing basis (e.g., in real-time). In one form, the amount ordegree of pre-distortion applied to the LUT samples may be based on theerror between a computed motional branch current and a desired currentwaveform shape, with the error being determined on a sample-by-samplebasis. In this way, the pre-distorted LUT samples, when processedthrough the drive circuit, may result in a motional branch drive signalhaving the desired waveform shape (e.g., sinusoidal) for optimallydriving the ultrasonic transducer. In such forms, the LUT waveformsamples will therefore not represent the desired waveform shape of thedrive signal, but rather the waveform shape that is required toultimately produce the desired waveform shape of the motional branchdrive signal when distortion effects are taken into account.

The non-isolated stage 5002 may further comprise an ADC 5022 and an ADC5024 coupled to the output of the power transformer 5032 via respectiveisolation transformers 5028, 5030 for respectively sampling the voltageand current of drive signals output by the generator 5000. In certainforms, the ADCs 5022, 5024 may be configured to sample at high speeds(e.g., 80 MSPS) to enable oversampling of the drive signals. In oneform, for example, the sampling speed of the ADCs 5022, 5024 may enableapproximately 200× (depending on frequency) oversampling of the drivesignals. In certain forms, the sampling operations of the ADC 5022, 5024may be performed by a singe ADC receiving input voltage and currentsignals via a two-way multiplexer. The use of high-speed sampling informs of the generator 5000 may enable, among other things, calculationof the complex current flowing through the motional branch (which may beused in certain forms to implement DDS-based waveform shape controldescribed above), accurate digital filtering of the sampled signals, andcalculation of real power consumption with a high degree of precision.Voltage and current feedback data output by the ADCs 5022, 5024 may bereceived and processed (e.g., FIFO buffering, multiplexing) by the logicdevice 5018 and stored in data memory for subsequent retrieval by, forexample, the DSP processor 5012. As noted above, voltage and currentfeedback data may be used as input to an algorithm for pre-distorting ormodifying LUT waveform samples on a dynamic and ongoing basis. Incertain forms, this may require each stored voltage and current feedbackdata pair to be indexed based on, or otherwise associated with, acorresponding LUT sample that was output by the logic device 5018 whenthe voltage and current feedback data pair was acquired. Synchronizationof the LUT samples and the voltage and current feedback data in thismanner contributes to the correct timing and stability of thepre-distortion algorithm.

In certain forms, the voltage and current feedback data may be used tocontrol the frequency and/or amplitude (e.g., current amplitude) of thedrive signals. In one form, for example, voltage and current feedbackdata may be used to determine impedance phase. The frequency of thedrive signal may then be controlled to minimize or reduce the differencebetween the determined impedance phase and an impedance phase setpoint(e.g., 0°), thereby minimizing or reducing the effects of harmonicdistortion and correspondingly enhancing impedance phase measurementaccuracy. The determination of phase impedance and a frequency controlsignal may be implemented in the DSP processor 5012, for example, withthe frequency control signal being supplied as input to a DDS controlalgorithm implemented by the logic device 5018.

In another form, for example, the current feedback data may be monitoredin order to maintain the current amplitude of the drive signal at acurrent amplitude setpoint. The current amplitude setpoint may bespecified directly or determined indirectly based on specified voltageamplitude and power setpoints. In certain forms, control of the currentamplitude may be implemented by control algorithm, such as, for example,a PID control algorithm, in the processor 5012. Variables controlled bythe control algorithm to suitably control the current amplitude of thedrive signal may include, for example, the scaling of the LUT waveformsamples stored in the logic device 5018 and/or the full-scale outputvoltage of the DAC 5020 (which supplies the input to the power amplifier5026) via a DAC 5010.

The non-isolated stage 5002 may further comprise a second processor 5014for providing, among other things user interface (UI) functionality. Inone form, the UI processor 5014 may comprise an Atmel AT91SAM9263processor having an ARM 926EJ-S core, available from Atmel Corporation,San Jose, Calif., for example. Examples of UI functionality supported bythe UI processor 5014 may include audible and visual user feedback,communication with peripheral devices (e.g., via a Universal Serial Bus(USB) interface), communication with a footswitch, communication with aninput device (e.g., a touch screen display indicators 4930) andcommunication with an output device (e.g., a speaker). The UI processor5014 may communicate with the processor 5012 and the logic device 5018(e.g., via serial peripheral interface (SPI) buses). Although the UIprocessor 5014 may primarily support UI functionality, it also maycoordinate with the DSP processor 5012 to implement hazard mitigation incertain forms. For example, the UI processor 5014 may be programmed tomonitor various aspects of user input and/or other inputs (e.g., touchscreen inputs, footswitch inputs, temperature sensor inputs) and maydisable the drive output of the generator 5000 when an erroneouscondition is detected.

In certain forms, both the DSP processor 5012 and the UI processor 5014,for example, may determine and monitor the operating state of thegenerator 5000. For the DSP processor 5012, the operating state of thegenerator 5000 may dictate, for example, which control and/or diagnosticprocesses are implemented by the DSP processor 5012. For the UIprocessor 5014, the operating state of the generator 5000 may dictate,for example, which elements of a user interface (e.g., display screens,sounds) are presented to a user. The respective DSP and UI processors5012, 5014 may independently maintain the current operating state of thegenerator 5000 and recognize and evaluate possible transitions out ofthe current operating state. The DSP processor 5012 may function as themaster in this relationship and determine when transitions betweenoperating states are to occur. The UI processor 5014 may be aware ofvalid transitions between operating states and may confirm if aparticular transition is appropriate. For example, when the DSPprocessor 5012 instructs the UI processor 5014 to transition to aspecific state, the UI processor 5014 may verify that requestedtransition is valid. In the event that a requested transition betweenstates is determined to be invalid by the UI processor 5014, the UIprocessor 5014 may cause the generator 5000 to enter a failure mode.

The non-isolated stage 5002 may further comprise a controller 5016 formonitoring input devices (e.g., a capacitive touch sensor used forturning the generator 5000 on and off, a capacitive touch screen). Incertain forms, the controller 5016 may comprise at least one processorand/or other controller device in communication with the UI processor5014. In one form, for example, the controller 5016 may comprise aprocessor (e.g., a Mega168 8-bit controller available from Atmel)configured to monitor user input provided via one or more capacitivetouch sensors. In one form, the controller 5016 may comprise a touchscreen controller (e.g., a QT5480 touch screen controller available fromAtmel) to control and manage the acquisition of touch data from acapacitive touch screen.

In certain forms, when the generator 5000 is in a “power off” state, thecontroller 5016 may continue to receive operating power (e.g., via aline from a power supply of the generator 5000). In this way, thecontroller 5016 may continue to monitor an input device (e.g., acapacitive touch sensor located on a front panel of the generator 5000)for turning the generator 5000 on and off. When the generator 5000 is inthe power off state, the controller 5016 may wake the power supply(e.g., enable operation of one or more DC/DC voltage converters 5060 ofthe power supply 5006) if activation of the “on/off” input device by auser is detected. The controller 5016 may therefore initiate a sequencefor transitioning the generator 5000 to a “power on” state. Conversely,the controller 5016 may initiate a sequence for transitioning thegenerator 5000 to the power off state if activation of the “on/off”input device is detected when the generator 5000 is in the power onstate. In certain forms, for example, the controller 5016 may reportactivation of the “on/off” input device to the processor 5014, which inturn implements the necessary process sequence for transitioning thegenerator 5000 to the power off state. In such forms, the controller5016 may have no independent ability for causing the removal of powerfrom the generator 5000 after its power on state has been established.

In certain forms, the controller 5016 may cause the generator 5000 toprovide audible or other sensory feedback for alerting the user that apower on or power off sequence has been initiated. Such an alert may beprovided at the beginning of a power on or power off sequence and priorto the commencement of other processes associated with the sequence.

In certain forms, the isolated stage 5034 may comprise an instrumentinterface circuit 5050 to, for example, provide a communicationinterface between a control circuit of a surgical device (e.g., acontrol circuit comprising hand piece switches) and components of thenon-isolated stage 5002, such as, for example, the programmable logicdevice 5018, the DSP processor 5012 and/or the UI processor 5014. Theinstrument interface circuit 5050 may exchange information withcomponents of the non-isolated stage 5002 via a communication link thatmaintains a suitable degree of electrical isolation between the stages5034, 5002, such as, for example, an infrared (IR)-based communicationlink. Power may be supplied to the instrument interface circuit 5050using, for example, a low-dropout voltage regulator powered by anisolation transformer driven from the non-isolated stage 5002.

In one form, the instrument interface circuit 5050 may comprise a logicdevice 5054 (e.g., logic circuit, programmable logic circuit, PGA, FPGA,PLD) in communication with a signal conditioning circuit 5052. Thesignal conditioning circuit 5052 may be configured to receive a periodicsignal from the logic circuit 5054 (e.g., a 2 kHz square wave) togenerate a bipolar interrogation signal having an identical frequency.The interrogation signal may be generated, for example, using a bipolarcurrent source fed by a differential amplifier. The interrogation signalmay be communicated to a surgical device control circuit (e.g., by usinga conductive pair in a cable that connects the generator 5000 to thesurgical device) and monitored to determine a state or configuration ofthe control circuit. The control circuit may comprise a number ofswitches, resistors and/or diodes to modify one or more characteristics(e.g., amplitude, rectification) of the interrogation signal such that astate or configuration of the control circuit is uniquely discernablebased on the one or more characteristics. In one form, for example, thesignal conditioning circuit 5052 may comprises an ADC for generatingsamples of a voltage signal appearing across inputs of the controlcircuit resulting from passage of interrogation signal therethrough. Thelogic device 5054 (or a component of the non-isolated stage 5002) maythen determine the state or configuration of the control circuit basedon the ADC samples.

In one form, the instrument interface circuit 5050 may comprise a firstdata circuit interface 5056 to enable information exchange between thelogic circuit 5054 (or other element of the instrument interface circuit5050) and a first data circuit disposed in or otherwise associated witha surgical device. In certain forms, for example, a first data circuitmay be disposed in a cable integrally attached to a surgical device handpiece, or in an adaptor for interfacing a specific surgical device typeor model with the generator 5000. The data circuit may be implemented inany suitable manner and may communicate with the generator according toany suitable protocol. In certain forms, the first data circuit maycomprise a non-volatile storage device, such as an electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM) device. In certain forms, thefirst data circuit interface 5056 may be implemented separately from thelogic device 5054 and comprise suitable circuitry (e.g., discrete logicdevices, a processor) to enable communication between the programmablelogic device 5054 and the first data circuit. In other forms, the firstdata circuit interface 5056 may be integral with the logic device 5054.

In certain forms, the first data circuit may store informationpertaining to the particular surgical device with which it isassociated. Such information may include, for example, a model number, aserial number, a number of operations in which the surgical device hasbeen used, and/or any other type of information. This information may beread by the instrument interface circuit 5050 (e.g., by the logic device5054), transferred to a component of the non-isolated stage 5002 (e.g.,to logic device 5018, DSP processor 5012 and/or UI processor 5014) forpresentation to a user via an output device and/or for controlling afunction or operation of the generator 5000. Additionally, any type ofinformation may be communicated to first data circuit for storagetherein via the first data circuit interface 5056 (e.g., using the logicdevice 5054). Such information may comprise, for example, an updatednumber of operations in which the surgical device has been used and/ordates and/or times of its usage.

Additionally, forms of the generator 5000 may enable communication withinstrument-based data circuits. For example, the generator 5000 may beconfigured to communicate with a second data circuit contained in aninstrument of a surgical device. The instrument interface circuit 5050may comprise a second data circuit interface 5058 to enable thiscommunication. In one form, the second data circuit interface 5058 maycomprise a tri-state digital interface, although other interfaces alsomay be used. In certain forms, the second data circuit may generally beany circuit for transmitting and/or receiving data. In one form, forexample, the second data circuit may store information pertaining to theparticular surgical instrument with which it is associated. Suchinformation may include, for example, a model number, a serial number, anumber of operations in which the surgical instrument has been used,and/or any other type of information. In some forms, the second datacircuit may store information about the electrical properties of an endeffector 30, or attachable components including the electrodes. Forexample, the first data circuit may indicate a burn-in frequency slope,as described herein. Additionally or alternatively, any type ofinformation may be communicated to second data circuit for storagetherein via the second data circuit interface 5058 (e.g., using thelogic device 5054). Such information may comprise, for example, anupdated number of operations in which the instrument has been usedand/or dates and/or times of its usage. In certain forms, the seconddata circuit may transmit data acquired by one or more sensors (e.g., aninstrument-based temperature sensor). In certain forms, the second datacircuit may receive data from the generator 5000 and provide anindication to a user (e.g., an LED indication or other visibleindication) based on the received data.

In certain forms, the second data circuit and the second data circuitinterface 5058 may be configured such that communication between thelogic device 5054 and the second data circuit can be effected withoutthe need to provide additional conductors for this purpose (e.g.,dedicated conductors of a cable connecting a hand piece to the generator5000). In one form, for example, information may be communicated to andfrom the second data circuit using a 1-wire bus communication schemeimplemented on existing cabling, such as one of the conductors usedtransmit interrogation signals from the signal conditioning circuit 5052to a control circuit in a hand piece. In this way, design changes ormodifications to the surgical device that might otherwise be necessaryare minimized or reduced. Moreover, because different types ofcommunications implemented over a common physical channel can befrequency-band separated, the presence of a second data circuit may be“invisible” to generators that do not have the requisite data readingfunctionality, thus enabling backward compatibility of the surgicaldevice instrument.

In certain forms, the isolated stage 5034 may comprise at least oneblocking capacitor 5040 connected to the drive signal output 5044 toprevent passage of DC current to a patient. A single blocking capacitormay be required to comply with medical regulations or standards, forexample. While failure in single-capacitor designs is relativelyuncommon, such failure may nonetheless have negative consequences. Inone form, a second blocking capacitor 5042 may be provided in serieswith the blocking capacitor 5040, with current leakage from a pointbetween the blocking capacitors 5040, 5042 being monitored by, forexample, an ADC 5046 for sampling a voltage induced by leakage current.The samples may be received by the logic circuit 5054, for example.Based changes in the leakage current, the generator 5000 may determinewhen at least one of the blocking capacitors 5040, 5042 has failed.Accordingly, the form of FIG. 50 provides a benefit oversingle-capacitor designs having a single point of failure.

In certain forms, the non-isolated stage 5002 may comprise a powersupply 5006 for outputting DC power at a suitable voltage and current.The power supply may comprise, for example, a 400 W power supply foroutputting a 48 VDC system voltage. The power supply 5006 may furthercomprise one or more DC/DC voltage converters 5060 for receiving theoutput of the power supply to generate DC outputs at the voltages andcurrents required by the various components of the generator 5000. Asdiscussed above in connection with the controller 5016, one or more ofthe DC/DC voltage converters 5060 may receive an input from thecontroller 5016 when activation of the “on/off” input device by a useris detected by the controller 5016 to enable operation of, or wake, theDC/DC voltage converters 5060.

FIG. 51 is a part schematic part block diagram illustrating an RF driveand control circuitry 5100 used in some embodiments to generate andcontrol the RF electrical energy supplied to the electrodes describedabove. The circuitry 5100 may describe part or all of the components ininternal generator 4940 sufficient for providing power and control tothe electrodes. As will be explained in more detail below, the drivecircuitry 5100 is a resonant based circuit and the control circuitryoperates to control the operating frequency of the drive signal so thatit is varied around the resonant frequency of the drive circuit, whichin turn controls the amount of power supplied to the electrodes at theend effector 30. The way that this is achieved will become apparent fromthe following description.

As shown in FIG. 51, the drive circuitry 5100 comprises the abovedescribed batteries 5110 that are arranged to supply, in this example, 0and 24V rails. An input capacitor (C_(in)) 5102 is connected between the0V and the 24V rails for providing a low source impedance. A pair of FETswitches 5104 and 5106 (both of which are N-channel in this embodimentto reduce power losses) is connected in series between the 0V rail andthe 24V rail. FET gate drive circuitry 5108 is provided that generatestwo drive signals-one for driving each of the two FETs 5104 and 5106.The FET gate drive circuitry 5108 generates drive signals that causesthe upper FET (5104) to be on when the lower FET (5106) is off and viceversa. This causes the node 5112 to be alternately connected to the 24Vrail (when FET 5104 is switched on) and the 0V rail (when the FET 5106is switched on). FIG. 51 also shows the internal parasitic diodes 5114and 5116 of the corresponding FETs 5104 and 5106, which conduct duringany periods that the FETs 5104 and 5106 are open.

As shown in FIG. 51, the node 5112 is connected to acapacitor-inductor-inductor resonant circuit 5120 formed by capacitorC_(s) 5118, inductor L_(s) 5122 and inductor L_(m) 5124. The FET gatedriving circuitry 5108 is arranged to generate drive signals at a drivefrequency (f_(d)) that opens and closes the FET switches 5104 and 5106at around the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit 5120. As aresult of the resonant characteristic of the resonant circuit 5120, thesquare wave voltage at node 5112 will cause a substantially sinusoidalcurrent at the drive frequency (f_(d)) to flow within the resonantcircuit 5120. As illustrated in FIG. 51, the inductor L_(m) 5124 is theprimary of a transformer 5126, the secondary of which is formed byinductor L_(sec) 5128. The transformer 5126 up-converts the drivevoltage (V_(d)) across inductor L_(m) 5124 to the load voltage (V_(L))that is applied to the load (represented by the load resistance R_(load)5130 in FIG. 51) corresponding to the impedance of the end effector'sjaws and any tissue or vessel gripped by the end effector 30. As shownin FIG. 51, a pair of DC blocking capacitors C_(bi) 5132 and 5134 isprovided to prevent any DC signal being applied to the load 5130.

In this embodiment utilizing the internal generator 4940, the amount ofelectrical power supplied to the end effector 30 is controlled byvarying the frequency of the switching signals used to switch the FETs5104 and 5106. This works because the resonant circuit 5120 acts as afrequency dependent (lossless) attenuator. The closer the drive signalis to the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit 5120, the less thedrive signal is attenuated. Similarly, as the frequency of the drivesignal is moved away from the resonant frequency of the circuit 5120,the more the drive signal is attenuated and so the power supplied to theload reduces. In this embodiment, the frequency of the switching signalsgenerated by the FET gate drive circuitry 5108 is controlled by acontroller 5136 based on a desired power to be delivered to the load5130 and measurements of the load voltage (V_(L)) and of the loadcurrent (i_(L)) obtained by conventional voltage sensing circuitry 5138and current sensing circuitry 5140. The way that the controller 5136operates will be described in more detail below.

FIG. 52 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of thecontroller 5136 in the internal generator 4940. In this embodiment, thecontroller 5136 is a micro-processor based controller and so most of thecomponents illustrated in FIG. 52 are software based components.However, a hardware based controller 5136 may be used instead. As shown,the controller 5136 includes synchronous I,Q sampling circuitry 5202that receives the sensed voltage and current signals from the sensingcircuitry 5138 and 5140 and obtains corresponding samples which arepassed to a power, V_(rms) and I_(rms) calculation module 5204. Thecalculation module 5204 uses the received samples to calculate the RMSvoltage and RMS current applied to the load 5130 (end effector 30 andtissue/vessel gripped thereby) and from them the power that is presentlybeing supplied to the load 5130. The determined values are then passedto a frequency control module 5206 and a medical device control module5208. The medical device control module 5208 uses the values todetermine the present impedance of the load 5130 and based on thisdetermined impedance and a pre-defined algorithm, determines what setpoint power (P_(set)) should be applied to the frequency control module5206. The medical device control module 5208 is in turn controlled bysignals received from a user input module 5210 that receives inputs fromthe user (for example pressing buttons or activating the control leverson the handle 14) and also controls output devices (lights, a display,speaker or the like) on the handle 14 via a user output module 5212.

The frequency control module 5206 uses the values obtained from thecalculation module 5204 and the power set point (P_(set)) obtained fromthe medical device control module 5208 and predefined system limits (tobe explained below), to determine whether or not to increase or decreasethe applied frequency. The result of this decision is then passed to asquare wave generation module 5214 which, in this embodiment, incrementsor decrements the frequency of a square wave signal that it generates by1 kHz, depending on the received decision. As those skilled in the artwill appreciate, in an alternative embodiment, the frequency controlmodule 5206 may determine not only whether to increase or decrease thefrequency, but also the amount of frequency change required. In thiscase, the square wave generation module 5214 would generate thecorresponding square wave signal with the desired frequency shift. Inthis embodiment, the square wave signal generated by the square wavegeneration module 5214 is output to the FET gate drive circuitry 5108,which amplifies the signal and then applies it to the FET 5104. The FETgate drive circuitry 5108 also inverts the signal applied to the FET5104 and applies the inverted signal to the FET 5106.

In some cases, various embodiments may be implemented as an article ofmanufacture. The article of manufacture may include a computer readablestorage medium arranged to store logic, instructions, and/or data forperforming various operations of one or more embodiments. In variousembodiments, for example, the article of manufacture may comprise amagnetic disk, optical disk, flash memory or firmware containingcomputer program instructions suitable for execution by a generalpurpose processor or application-specific processor. The embodiments,however, are not limited in this context.

The functions of the various functional elements, logical blocks,modules, and circuits elements described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in the general contextof computer executable instructions, such as software, control modules,logic, and/or logic modules executed by the processing unit. Generally,software, control modules, logic, and/or logic modules comprise anysoftware element arranged to perform particular operations. Software,control modules, logic, and/or logic modules can comprise routines,programs, objects, components, data structures, and the like thatperform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Animplementation of the software, control modules, logic, and/or logicmodules and techniques may be stored on and/or transmitted across someform of computer-readable media. In this regard, computer-readable mediacan be any available medium or media useable to store information andaccessible by a computing device. Some embodiments also may be practicedin distributed computing environments where operations are performed byone or more remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment,software, control modules, logic, and/or logic modules may be located inboth local and remote computer storage media, including memory storagedevices.

Additionally, it is to be appreciated that the embodiments describedherein illustrate example implementations, and that the functionalelements, logical blocks, modules, and circuits elements may beimplemented in various other ways which are consistent with thedescribed embodiments. Furthermore, the operations performed by suchfunctional elements, logical blocks, modules, and circuits elements maybe combined and/or separated for a given implementation and may beperformed by a greater number or fewer number of components or modules.As will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading thepresent disclosure, each of the individual embodiments described andillustrated herein has discrete components and features which may bereadily separated from or combined with the features of any of the otherseveral aspects without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. Any recited method can be carried out in the order of eventsrecited or in any other order which is logically possible.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, it may be appreciated that termssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” or thelike, refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computingsystem, or similar electronic computing device, such as a generalpurpose processor; a DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device;discrete gate or transistor logic; discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described hereinthat manipulates and/or transforms data represented as physicalquantities (e.g., electronic) within registers and/or memories intoother data similarly represented as physical quantities within thememories, registers, or other such information storage, transmission ordisplay devices.

It is worthy to note that some embodiments may be described using theexpression “coupled” and “connected” along with their derivatives. Theseterms are not intended as synonyms for each other. For example, someembodiments may be described using the terms “connected” and/or“coupled” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physicalor electrical contact with each other. The term “coupled,” however, alsomay mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with eachother, but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. Withrespect to software elements, for example, the term “coupled” may referto interfaces, message interfaces, and application program interface,exchanging messages, and so forth.

The devices disclosed herein can be designed to be disposed of after asingle use, or they can be designed to be used multiple times. In eithercase, however, the device can be reconditioned for reuse after at leastone use. Reconditioning can include any combination of the steps ofdisassembly of the device, followed by cleaning or replacement ofparticular pieces, and subsequent reassembly. In particular, the devicecan be disassembled, and any number of the particular pieces or parts ofthe device can be selectively replaced or removed in any combination.Upon cleaning and/or replacement of particular parts, the device can bereassembled for subsequent use either at a reconditioning facility, orby a surgical team immediately prior to a surgical procedure. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that reconditioning of a device canutilize a variety of techniques for disassembly, cleaning/replacement,and reassembly. Use of such techniques, and the resulting reconditioneddevice, are all within the scope of the present application.

Although various embodiments have been described herein, manymodifications, variations, substitutions, changes, and equivalents tothose embodiments may be implemented and will occur to those skilled inthe art. Also, where materials are disclosed for certain components,other materials may be used. It is, therefore, to be understood that theforegoing description and the appended claims are intended to cover allsuch modifications and variations as falling within the scope of thedisclosed embodiments. The following claims are intended to cover allsuch modification and variations.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A surgical instrument comprising: a handleassembly; a shaft coupled to a distal end of the handle assembly; and anend effector coupled to a distal end of the shaft, the end effectorcomprising: a first jaw; a second jaw, wherein the first jaw and thesecond jaw cooperate to capture tissue therebetween; the first jawcomprising a first lateral side, a second lateral side, and a third sideconnecting the first and second lateral sides and facing the second jawsuch that the third side is positioned closest to the second jaw as thesecond jaw closes with the first jaw; a stapling member configured tofire one or more staples between the first and second jaws; and anelongated electrode secured to the first jaw, the elongated electrodecomprising: a first long portion that runs longitudinally along thefirst lateral side of the first jaw from a first proximal point on saidfirst lateral side beginning near a joint connecting the first jaw tothe second jaw and extending to a distal end of said first lateral side;a second portion electrically coupled to the first long portion thatruns along a distal end of the third side of the first jaw such that thesecond jaw closes onto the second portion when the second jaw closesonto the first jaw; a third long portion electrically coupled to thesecond portion that runs longitudinally along the second lateral side ofthe first jaw from a distal end of said second lateral side andextending to a second proximal point on said second lateral sidebeginning near the joint connecting the first jaw to the second jaw; afourth portion running substantially perpendicular to the longitudinaldirection of the first long portion and connecting a distal end of thefirst long portion to the second portion; and a fifth portion runningsubstantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the thirdlong portion and connecting a distal end of the third long portion tothe second portion; wherein the first long portion and the third longportion are positioned on a first plane distal to the second jaw, andthe second portion is positioned on a second plane parallel to the firstplane and proximal to the second jaw; and wherein the elongatedelectrode is configured to transmit electrosurgical energy throughoutthe entirety of the first long portion, the second portion, the thirdlong portion, the fourth portion and the fifth portion, to coagulatetissue upon wiping the end effector against the tissue.
 2. The surgicalinstrument of claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor configured tovary an amount of the electrosurgical energy transmitted by theelongated electrode based on a measured distance or angle of openingbetween the first jaw and the second jaw.
 3. The surgical instrument ofclaim 2, wherein the microprocessor is coupled to a sensor, wherein thesensor is configured to measure said distance or angle of the openingbetween the first jaw and the second jaw.
 4. The surgical instrument ofclaim 3, wherein the microprocessor is configured to: deliver theelectrosurgical energy to the elongated electrode when it is determinedthat the first and second jaws are in a closed position; deliver theelectrosurgical energy to the elongated electrode when it is determinedthat the first and second jaws are in a substantially closed positionand are clamped onto patient tissue; and deliver no electrosurgicalenergy to the elongated electrode when it is determined that the firstand second jaws are in an open position.
 5. The surgical instrument ofclaim 1, further comprising a power button configured to supply theelectrosurgical energy to the elongated electrode when pressed by a userof the surgical instrument.
 6. The surgical instrument of claim 1,wherein the end effector further comprises a cutting element disposedbetween the first jaw and the second jaw.
 7. The surgical instrument ofclaim 1, further comprising a microprocessor configured to: control afirst maximum level of energy delivered to the elongated electrode, thefirst maximum level of energy sufficient to coagulate tissue upon wipingof the elongated electrode onto the tissue and not sufficient to cut thetissue upon contact with the tissue; and control a second maximum levelof energy delivered to the elongated electrode, the second maximum levelof energy sufficient to cut the tissue upon contact with the elongatedelectrode onto the tissue.
 8. A surgical system comprising: a powergenerator; and a surgical instrument coupled to the power generator, thesurgical instrument comprising: a handle assembly; a shaft coupled to adistal end of the handle assembly; and an end effector coupled to adistal end of the shaft, the end effector comprising: a first jaw; asecond jaw, wherein the first jaw and the second jaw cooperate tocapture tissue therebetween; the first jaw comprising a first lateralside, a second lateral side, and a third side connecting the first andsecond lateral sides and facing the second jaw such that the third sideis positioned closest to the second jaw as the second jaw closes withthe first jaw; a stapling member configured to fire one or more staplesbetween the first and second jaws; and an elongated electrode secured tothe first jaw, the elongated electrode comprising: a first long portionthat runs longitudinally along the first lateral side of the first jawfrom a first proximal point on said first lateral side beginning near ajoint connecting the first jaw to the second jaw and extending to adistal end of said first lateral side; a second portion electricallycoupled to the first long portion that runs along a distal end of thethird side of the first jaw such that the second jaw closes onto thesecond portion when the second jaw closes onto the first jaw; a thirdlong portion electrically coupled to the second portion that runslongitudinally along the second lateral side of the first jaw from adistal end of said second lateral side and extending to a secondproximal point on said second lateral side beginning near the jointconnecting the first jaw to the second jaw; a fourth portion runningsubstantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the firstlong portion and connecting a distal end of the first long portion tothe second portion; and a fifth portion running substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the third long portionand connecting a distal end of the third long portion to the secondportion; wherein the first long portion and the third long portion arepositioned on a first plane distal to the second jaw, and the secondportion is positioned on a second plane parallel to the first plane andproximal to the second jaw; and wherein the elongated electrode isconfigured to transmit electrosurgical energy throughout the entirety ofthe first long portion, the second portion, the third long portion, thefourth portion and the fifth portion, to coagulate tissue upon wipingthe end effector against the tissue.
 9. The surgical system of claim 8,further comprising a microprocessor coupled to a sensor, wherein thesensor is configured to measure a distance or angle of an openingbetween the first jaw and the second jaw, and the microprocessor isconfigured to control delivery of the electrosurgical energy to theelongated electrode based on the measured distance or the angle of theopening.
 10. The surgical system of claim 9, wherein the microprocessoris configured to: deliver the electrosurgical energy to the elongatedelectrode when it is determined that the first and second jaws are in aclosed position; deliver the electrosurgical energy to the elongatedelectrode when it is determined that the first and second jaws are in asubstantially closed position and are clamped onto patient tissue; anddeliver no electrosurgical energy to the elongated electrode when it isdetermined that the first and second jaws are in an open position. 11.The surgical system of claim 8, further comprising a power buttonconfigured to supply the electrosurgical energy to the elongatedelectrode when pressed by a user of the surgical instrument.
 12. Thesurgical system of claim 8, wherein the end effector further comprises acutting element disposed between the first jaw and the second jaw. 13.The surgical system of claim 8, further comprising a microprocessorconfigured to: control a first maximum level of energy delivered to theelongated electrode, the first maximum level of energy sufficient tocoagulate tissue upon wiping of the elongated electrode onto the tissueand not sufficient to cut the tissue upon contact with the tissue; andcontrol a second maximum level of energy delivered to the elongatedelectrode, the second maximum level of energy sufficient to cut thetissue upon contact with the elongated electrode onto the tissue.